Saturday, July 23, 2011

Chalkboard nook

I don't know about you, but I struggle keeping track of to do lists. Either they're on teeny scraps of paper scattered throughout the house, or on some document on my computer that I never look at.

I particularly need a good - visible - place for my list of around-the-house chores that are perfect to tackle during the weekend. (How it works now is I live with a vague sense that I wanted to accomplish something, but instead spend hours playing Plants vs. Zombies while I wait for inspiration to strike.)

So I decided to take an uninspired corner of the kitchen and turn it into a much more attractive, much more functional To Do nook.

First, I cleared out the space. I removed the sad little hook holding way too many things, moved the artwork, and set the broom aside.

I taped off a large rectangle to delineate where the chalk wall would be. I used a yard stick and level to draw a straight line in pencil, then ran 2" painters tape along the line.

Two inches in, I drew another rectangle and taped it off in 1" painters tape to create a border for visual interest.

I made sure to keep the corners of the inner rectangle nice and clean. Cutting the tape with scissors helped.

Then I painted over the whole shebang in black chalkboard paint. It took me two coats to get a nice clean surface. After it dried I removed the tape.

I hung a coat rack that was leftover from a previous project, and since the paint was also leftover and I had all the paint supplies on hand, this project cost me exactly $0!

Tip: make sure to press the edges of the painters tape down firmly or you'll be doing some touch-up like me.

And here's the finished look! Now I have a place for art smocks, aprons, the broom, and a great visual reminder or all those little projects I want to take care of.

Another view

The added bonus is a fun new art space for the kids. (Of course I've been warned they'll soon take over the whole wall, but until they grow a bit, I still have the top to myself.)

A little plastic cup screwed into the wall makes a great place to hold chalk. I placed it high enough for my 4-year-old to reach, but too high for the 1-year-old. Since she thinks chalk is pretty tasty, it's best that she can't get into it on her own, for now.

1 comment:

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Behind the curtain

I'm a work from home mom with endless sources of inspiration (including my husband and two kids).
The Wyrd Sisters chronicles my life, kids, and random thoughts. LittleSage is my design blog. Hope you'll check them both out.